1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to assembly devices for electrical circuit components suitable for supplying electronic chip components, especially chip components with comb-like leads, to e.g. chip mounting apparatuses.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Conventionally, the following methods and apparatuses have been employed to feed IC chip components of relatively small sizes to mounting machines for depositing the IC chip components onto predetermined places on electrical circuit boards. As some examples of such IC chip components (hereinafter referred to as electronic components), a flat package IC 100 and a mini-package IC or SO (small outline) IC 102 are shown with comb-like leads 101, 103 in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, respectively.
As known bowl type work-feeder 104 combined with a known in-line type work-feeder 105 is shown in FIG. 3. Electronic components 106 are successively fed in a row by these feeders suitably fixed on a workable (not shown). FIG. 4 shows a portion of another conventional assembly device 107 of magazine type. Electronic components 102' are fed one by one inside a rectangular column in a horizontal direction thereof.
FIG. 5 shows a portion of still another conventional assembly device of carrier magazine type. It corresponds to the case where a casing 108 is made of e.g. plastics and has encaved recesses 109. The recesses 109 are formed at a uniform interval and used for carrying electronic components stored therein.
FIG. 6 shows a carrier type 110 provided with a plurality of sprocket holes 111 and openings 112. Electronic components placed inside the openings 112 closed by an upper tape 113 and a bottom tape 113', are carried by use of the sprocket holes 111.
Feeding operations by employing the above four conventional assembly devices have the following drawbacks.
In the case of FIG. 3, the bowl type and in-line type work-feeders 104 and 105 feed the electronic components 106 by vibration, thereby resulting in shortcomings that the vibration adversely affects other portions of the assembly machine, that large spaces are necessary for installing several work-feeders at the assembly machine, and further that the electronic components 106 are liable to be stuck partly due to bending of their comb-like leads during feeding through a chute of the in-line type workfeeder 105.
In the case of FIG. 4, the electronic components 102' are indexed by suitable pushing means (not shown). The index is made with a relatively high reliability. But, the magazine method has shortcomings that it takes much time to restore the machine operation when the electronic components 102' are stuck, and that the number of the electronic components 102' stocked in one column magazine is generally limited.
Further, in the case of FIG. 5, although a stable feeding operation is obtainable, the feeding method by use of the carrier magazine 108 has another shortcomings that a relatively large size is necessary for the carrier magazine 108 in comparison with small sizes of the electronic components, and that large spaces and a complex feeding machine are necessary for automatically feeding the carrier magazines 108.
And further, in the case of FIG. 6, although a stable feeding operation is obtainable, the feeding method by use of the carrier tape 110 with the openings 112 has still another shortcomings that, when the electronic components are taken out from the openings 112 one by one, their comb-like leads are liable to touch the walls of the openings 112 thus obstructing their taking out operations, and further that even if the stuck electronic components could be taken out, the comb-like leads would be frequently deformed, so that they could not be deposited correctly on circuit boards.